Character creation

[Serilda]

Why not both? keep Elezen we have now and add options to change their body type. Because I don't think Elezen would lose their flare their 'it' factor if they added a body type with more hips/stomach (or an option to narrow in the shoulders. But that's just me). If you wanna keep the original look, go for it. But considering how widely disliked they are, more features could improve that. Muchless this isn't only directed at Elezen.

What is being suggested for Elezen effectively amounts to 'let's add a cute version of Elezen but keep the ugly type so the freaks who think they look ok can continue to play them', and while this is certainly a lot better than the 'let's change all Elezen because they all look gross' threads which pop up now and again, it still means dividing the people who play Elezen and pressuring those who like the current type to conform to narrow aesthetic sensibilities or look even more out of place. I think we look cool as we are.

Also, I don't think it's fair to single out Elezen (I know you're trying to avoid that now, but it's already been done) just because they aren't popular picks and this always happens, even though we had a boost in popularity after HW when they got some decent representation in the story - still waiting for Duskwights to be game-relevant one day, S-E. Sure, it's logical to infer that the reason they aren't popular is because they are ugly to a certain slice of the playerbase, but not every race is ever going to be as popular as cute dragon girls or cat girls. Do they all have to be equivalently popular? Many people only play the game in the first place because they have an option that meets their tastes. We already have options for playing characters who are cuter or beefier or smaller...

A lot of the justification for criticising Elezen seems to be from people playing popular races who say they might try an Elezen if Elezen were better. Why do we have to change to suit you? You already have a race you chose to play.

[Asmrran]

What is being suggested for Elezen effectively amounts to 'let's add a cute version of Elezen but keep the ugly type so the freaks who think they look ok can continue to play them', and while this is certainly a lot better than the 'let's change all Elezen because they all look gross' threads which pop up now and again

I'm sorry if you've felt pressured to change from Elezen due to community opinions. Hopefully no one is pressuring you or anyone to change their Elezen (and if they have, block them). But really. The game is here for you to enjoy and if you feel pressured to change your enjoyment, then avoid the people pressuring you. Our opinions differ but by no means would I go out and say "I hate all Elezen who use the default model and not the new one" simply accept that the current model is loved by some and newer models could make the race more enjoyable for others (including me. Because I love Elezen lore)

[Asmrran]

A lot of the justification for criticising Elezen seems to be from people playing popular races who say they might try an Elezen if Elezen were better. Why do we have to change to suit you? You already have a race you chose to play.

I'm grabbing my information from https://ffxivcensus.com/ and it just seems ironic to me that they were going for the high class, beautiful elf look (see Ishgardians) but the community seems to be more on the agreement of 'they don't look good' and as I've stated, its my opinion and the opinion is that Elezen look disproportionate in an unflattering way. Not only this but they are way under Lalafell in active players. (Lalalfell Women are at 55k players. Elezen Women are at 15k players).

As for the cute dragon girls and cat girls. I frankly don't like that both races are stuck being 'cute' and I would love a tall beefy cat woman, but that's just a dream. I currently don't love any of the races in the game (since I love animal features/fantasy features) on a taller model (Viera could solve that problem)

[Serilda]

I'm grabbing my information from https://ffxivcensus.com/ and it just seems ironic to me that they were going for the high class, beautiful elf look (see Ishgardians) but the community seems to be more on the agreement of 'they don't look good' and as I've stated, its my opinion and the opinion is that Elezen look disproportionate in an unflattering way. Not only this but they are way under Lalafell in active players. (Lalalfell Women are at 55k players. Elezen Women are at 15k players).

Ignoring the current census entirely since 'NOTE: THIS DATA IS FLAWED DUE TO THE LODESTONE HAVING DOWNTIME DURING THE SCAN. PLEASE CHECK BACK IN NOVEMBER.' but in the previous one, which is still not 100% accurate, Elezen still outnumber their Roegadyn equivalents. Yet people don't say that's because Roegadyn are ugly/disproportionate/not like Tolkein dwarves/whatever other excuse. It's just accepted as a thing; more FF players are likely to pick prettier characters than want to pick rugged ones. With Elezen, people seem to have this preconception about what they're supposed to be and constantly snipe at the designs for not living up to that. It happens often. It's tiresome.

The Lalafell thing is difficult because it's very regional; not shown on the census at all but Lalafell are very popular on JP servers from my experience (more popular than Hyur on many servers according to Lucky Bancho's survey), while being relatively niche elsewhere. I still don't want the definition of their race changed to accommodate a more even spread. It would be genuinely weird to have a perfect balance. Heck, some people might specifically pick uncommon combinations to move away from the more common character types :s

[Vegituh]

Instead of asking for the option to completely ignore what makes Elezen "Elezen", how about you come to terms with the fact that its not for you and stop trying to "Fix it".

"I'd like Elezen, if it wasn't for all of the things that make Elezen what they are." What a joke. Clearly you don't like Elezen. You just want to play a Tolkien-esque Elf. Which is to say, a human with pointy ears. But Elezen aren't human. And Like Roegadyns and Lalafells, we don't have human proportions. And that is perfectly alright. Not everything has to look like a cosplaying Hyur.

A lot of the justification for criticising Elezen seems to be from people playing popular races who say they might try an Elezen if Elezen were better. Why do we have to change to suit you? You already have a race you chose to play.

This. Play the race you already like, and stop trying to "fix" us.

One of your own even stated that there people tend to use certain styles as it balances some features. Would the option of slightly more narrow shoulders or the option to adjust head size take away what Elezen are?

Yes, it would. Because they wouldn't be Elezen anymore. That'd be like me saying "making Lalafell tall and thin wouldn't take away anything from them being Lalafells". Your changing the core fundamentals of the races design.

Ignoring the current census entirely since 'NOTE: THIS DATA IS FLAWED DUE TO THE LODESTONE HAVING DOWNTIME DURING THE SCAN. PLEASE CHECK BACK IN NOVEMBER.' but in the previous one, which is still not 100% accurate, Elezen still outnumber their Roegadyn equivalents. Yet people don't say that's because Roegadyn are ugly/disproportionate/not like Tolkein dwarves/whatever other excuse. It's just accepted as a thing; more FF players are likely to pick prettier characters than want to pick rugged ones. With Elezen, people seem to have this preconception about what they're supposed to be and constantly snipe at the designs for not living up to that. It happens often. It's tiresome.

Agreed. I'm also sick of the "Well not alot of people play them, so clearly somethings wrong with them!" shtick that people always fall back on, as if comparing us to Catgirls is at all fair. The census doesn't matter because at the end of the day who cares if we aren't the most popular race. That's why there are different races. If you don't like one, you have the choice to play a different one that fits you. Because at the end of the day, not everything has to fit everyone. Less homogenization please.

[Skivvy]

A lot of the justification for criticising Elezen seems to be from people playing popular races who say they might try an Elezen if Elezen were better. Why do we have to change to suit you? You already have a race you chose to play.

I played an Elvaan in XI, and their proportions are not much different than what we have in XIV. There is a reason dhalmel jokes existed. 1.0 beta was spent mostly as an Elezen, but that didn’t carry over to launch as I just couldn’t hang with the proportions any longer. I’ve always found them to be a bit off, even in XI. I’ve fantasiad to Elezen twice, but it never lasts too long for reasons.

One of your own even stated that there people tend to use certain styles as it balances some features. Would the option of slightly more narrow shoulders or the option to adjust head size take away what Elezen are?

The fact I play a popular race should not be a factor here. I’ve spent plenty of time as the other, and even if I hadnt, my opinion shouldn’t be diminished by the fact.